There is at least one more helpless and frustrating feeling than arriving at an airport’s baggage claim only to discover that your clubs are nowhere to be found:
Arriving at an airport’s baggage claim only to discover that your clubs are nowhere to be found on the eve of one of the biggest starts of your life.
Such is the dilemma in which José Islas found himself a few days ago in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Islas, a former Mexican amateur standout who turned pro earlier this year, flew halfway across the world to play in LIV Golf’s 72-hole Promotions event. The odds of him getting through are slim; there are 93 players in the field and, while the top 10 finishers (including ties) will earn full exemptions into the 2025 International Series, only the winner will punch his golden ticket to LIV, where last season 37 players earned more than $3 million in on-course earnings.
“We’re playing for a lot,” Thai pro Jazz Janewattananond said earlier this week. “That one spot will definitely change one life.”
But first things first: getting to the first tee with your clubs.
For Islas, that piece of the calculus proved challenging when the airline he flew into Riyadh (he didn’t say which airline) lost his clubs. You know what they say, though: When life hands you lemons, call your caddie’s friend, Shane. That’s what Islas did, and Shane, an English ex-pat living in Riyadh, came to the rescue with a set of loaners. “He drove here yesterday to bring the clubs,” Islas said Thursday. “So I played a practice round with those clubs.”
The irons are Titleist T200s, which are a long way from the blades that Islas is accustomed to playing. “Fat ones with stiff shafts,” is how Islas described his interim irons. He added that the clubs also are much more upright that his gamers. All in all, he said: “Completely opposite.”
But then a funny thing happened. In his first practice round with the clubs, Islas set out on Riyadh Golf Club’s back nine. On his second hole of the day (the par-4 11th), Islas had 165 yards into the green…and holed the shot for eagle.
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On Thursday, in the first round of the Promotions event, the good vibes (and swings) continued. After parring his first five holes, Islas ran off five consecutive birdies to move to five under, which is where he would stay. At day’s end, Islas was just two off Jeunghun Wang’s lead.
When asked about his fill-in clubs, Islas said something interesting.
“I think they work pretty well,” he said. “I think it’s not about the clubs — it’s more about how I thought [about] the shots that I was going to hit. I was with no expectations at all. I think that’s why it really worked.”
Islas said he tried to play the simplest shots he could, which is harder than it sounds. “Try to have 18 chances at birdie,” he said.
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